VOA常速英语2008年-Harry Connick Jr. Releases New Orleans Tribute

By Larry London
Washington, DC
04 February 2008
  

Singing sensation Harry¹ Connick, Jr., continues to sell millions of records and attract thousands of fans. It Is not only his music that has fans clamoring for more. His performances on TV, in movies and on the Broadway stage keep fans coming back for more. Now, Connick is sharing his success by giving back to the community where he grew up. VOA's Larry London recently chatted with the singer about his multifaceted career.

With 21 albums, three Grammy Awards and 15 films to his credit, Harry Connick, Jr. is a tireless artist. To produce this much artistry takes a lot of practice, however. Connick's training started when he was very young.

He explains, "I think I was maybe six before I started to get some basic lessons, by the time I was eight or nine years-old, I was full into it. I mean, I was doing recordings². I remember I played with the symphony when I was about nine. That's really kind of all I did. I didn't play sports. I wasn't the best student. It was just music all the time."

 

What better place to absorb the various styles of music than in New Orleans, Louisiana, Connick's hometown? Harry's recent album "Oh, My NOLA [NO-la]," is dedicated³ to the music of New Orleans. NOLA, N-O-L-A, is an abbreviation of New Orleans, Louisiana.

"It's kind a nickname that we call New Orleans sometimes. When I talk about New Orleans, I think about all the rich culture there and the heritage there with music, and food and art. It's just a place I'm very proud to be from," says Connick.

It was his love of New Orleans that prompted Harry to help those that were struck by one of nature's most ferocious⁴ storms. Connick says, "Well, I remember right after Hurricane Katrina, Branford Marsalis, who's a dear friend for many years, we would drive into Houston to go see the evacuees⁵ who were at the Astrodome (a stadium used to shelter Hurricane Katrina evacuees). So we came up with an idea of the Musicians' Village. And what we decided⁶ to do was build a bunch of houses to try to entice⁷ musicians who have been displaced to come back (to New Orleans). We made it open to everybody, but with a special focus on musicians to come back so they can start rebuilding their lives in New Orleans."

Harry has a minor⁸ role in the recently released movie, "P.S. I Love You." If he had to choose between acting⁹ and music, he would stay with what is most familiar. "Well, I think things revolving¹⁰ around music are probably my favorite things to do only because I've done them for so long, and you know, it's like the longer you do something, the more familiar you become with it, and the more challenging it becomes at the same time," he said. "So music has been a part of my life since I was a small kid where as I didn't start acting until I was about 19 or 20."

Whether it is performing jazz tunes¹¹ or crooning to the big band sounds enjoyed by older audiences, Harry Connick, Jr. is universally celebrated¹² as a man of abundant talent and a humanitarian¹³ spirit.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

3 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

4 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

5 evacuees   

n.被疏散者( evacuee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Moreover, for multi-exits, evacuees select a exit based on game theory. 在有多个出口时，疏散人员根据对策论选择出口。 来自互联网
• Evacuees wade through flooded area following heavy monsoon rains in Peshawar on Saturday, July 31, 2010. 撤离灾区涉水通过后在白沙瓦沉重的季风降雨在周六，2010年7月31日。 来自互联网

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

8 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

11 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

13 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。